Making a spectacle of Rahul's jacket

With less than a month left before Meghalaya goes to the polls to elect a new Assembly, it is sad to see parties resorting to petty politics, only to divert the attention from real issues.

Instead of addressing voters' concerns, politicians, parties and spokespersons are indulging in hollow jibes at each other over ‘expensive’ jackets and spectacles.

The State Bharatiya Janta Party social media comment on Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s high-end Burberry jacket, which he wore at an event organised in Meghalaya, where polling is due in 27 days, is a case in point.

The State BJP on Tuesday tweeted, “So @OfficeOfRG , soot (pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with ‘black’ money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us!”

It was a direct attack on Gandhi’s Burberry quilted jacket which costs around Rs 67,000, way less than an iPhone which many of our country’s upper middle class population and our political leaders carry in their pockets.

If a person working in a reputed position in a firm earns enough ‘white money’ to afford a Burberry jacket, then what is the fuss about the country’s oldest party’s boss wearing one in freezing temperatures?

It is high-time our leaders stooping to low-level politics indulged in some self-introspection. How much does your car cost? How expensive are the sofas in your living room? How much does your watch cost? How much ‘black-money’ did you spend on your cellphone?

So @OfficeOfRG , soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with ‘black’ money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us! pic.twitter.com/sRvj5eoyRb

The brawl didn’t stop there. The Congress also got on the same level and hit back at the BJP within minutes. Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi took to her social media account and highlighted the costs of the Prime Minister’s suits and BJP chief Amit Shah’s spectacles.

The social media tug-of-war took place just two days ahead of the general budget, which is going to be presented on Thursday.

If only this energy were spent on dealing with the development-related issues of India's north-eastern States and how to rapidly integrate them with the national economy, a lot more could have been achieved.

About the author: Author is an Assistant Producer in ABP News Network Pvt Ltd and tweets at @NikitaKochar

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